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The origin of Donald Trump and JD Vance’s baseless, debunked claims that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, has now been revealed – with the story coming from a local woman who heard it fourth-hand.
Earlier this month, Erika Lee, 35, posted the bizarre anecdote in a local Facebook group.
As the story goes, a cat owner found her dead pet hanging from a tree ready to be skinned, butchered and eaten at a house said to be occupied by Haitian immigrants.
The story was quickly debunked by local police and, after he initially perpetuated the false narrative, Ohio Senator Vance himself even admitted that the rumors could be make-believe.
But on Tuesday, Donald Trump decided to broadcast the false claim further – parroting it live to 67 million Americans as he took on Kamala Harris in their first presidential debate in Philadelphia.
“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said to a jolted vice president who laughed and labeled the claim “extreme.”
Now, Lee has revealed her vastly dubious sourcing for the baseless story: that she heard it from a neighbor, who heard it from a friend, who heard it from their daughter. She also admitted that she doesn’t even know the person who is believed to have started the tale.
“Honestly, it blew me away,” Lee told NewsGuard after hearing Trump’s statement, after the outlet traced the sourcing.
“I didn’t think that any of this would explode to the presidency.”
The neighbor who spread the gossip to Lee, Kimberly Newton, also admitted to NewsGuard that her sources were unreliable.
“I’m not sure I’m the most credible source because I don’t actually know the person who lost the cat,” she told the website. “I don’t have any proof.”
Lee had retold the fourth-hand fable on local Facebook group Springfield Ohio Crime and Information.
On September 5, a screenshot of the post was then shared on X which went viral, and has since been viewed by almost one million users.
“My neighbor [Newton] informed me that her daughters friend had lost her cat,” Lee began.
“One day she came home from work, as soon as she stepped out of her car, looked towards a neighbors house, where Haitians live, & saw her cat hanging from a branch, like you’d do a deer for butchering, & they were carving it up to eat.”
She concluded: “I’ve been told they are doing this to dogs, they have been doing it at snyder park with the ducks & geese, as I was told that last bit by Rangers & police.”
By Monday, Vance had caught a whiff of the story and used it to push a xenophobic, anti-immigration narrative to attack Harris and the Biden administration’s border policy.
“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote on X. “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
Other Republicans, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, shared similar posts including a photo of two kittens overlaid with: “Please vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.”
That same day, Vance’s false claims were swiftly debunked by Springfield authorities, who confirmed that there have been no credible reports or evidence of pets being stolen and eaten in the community.
Ahead of the presidential debate on Tuesday, the Ohio senator noted it was possible “all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”
Trump appeared to ignore the claims being discredited, choosing to push the rhetoric on the debate stage on Tuesday night.
He doubled down on the falsehood again at a rally in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday – dragging another animal into the mix this time.
“A recording of 911 calls show that residents are reporting that the migrants are walking off with the town’s geese. They’re taking the geese,” Trump said.
“You know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake. And even walking off with their pets. ‘My dog’s been taken. My dog’s been stolen.’”
